Low Savings: I Never Indicted Jonathan – Okonjo-Iweala‎

ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – Former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has refuted media reports that she indicted the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan concerning national savings in the last few years.

In a statement issued on her behalf by Mr. Paul. Nwabuikwu, her media adviser, Okonjo-Iweala said the reports distorted the comments she made regarding how lack of political will negatively affected national savings in the past few years.

“Contrary to the slant given by these loud headlines, Dr Okonjo-Iweala did not indict the Jonathan administration in which she served.

“Rather, she was referring to what many Nigerians already know: the strong opposition by some governors to the Jonathan government’s efforts to save in the Excess Crude Account and the Sovereign Wealth Fund sabotaged this important national priority.

“The governors’ criticism of Dr Okonjo-Iweala’s many calls for the country to save for the rainy day are still fresh in the minds of Nigerians.

“It will be recalled that this opposition culminated in the Governors taking the Jonathan government to the Supreme Court in furtherance of their position that the Federal Government had no right to ‘compel’ them to save.

“Several knowledgeable persons including former Anambra State Governor, Mr Peter Obi have confirmed these facts.

“So the issue of Okonjo-Iweala indicting the Jonathan administration over this very public issue simply does not arise,” the statement said.